One Quiet Woman: Ellindale Saga, Book 1

Lancashire, 1930: Leah Turner's father has been killed in an accident at the laundry, and since her mother died years ago it falls to her to become sole provider for her little sister. But women's wages are half those of men, and pawning the few belongings she has left will keep their vicious rent collector at bay for only a few weeks, so even if she finds a job, they'll lose their home. Out of the blue, Charlie Willcox, the local pawnbroker, offers her a deal.

A Place of Hope

When Emily Mattison falls victim to a near-fatal accident shortly after receiving an unexpected inheritance, her ruthless nephew George seizes the opportunity to take control of his aunt’s assets. Awaking from a coma to find herself locked up in a Geriatric Care Unit, Emily must rely on her wits and the help of her fellow patient Chad to escape. It’s only when Emily reaches the The Drover’s Hope, a former pub on the edge of the Lancashire moors, bequeathed to her by a cousin, that she begins to feel safe.

Winds of Change

Miranda Fox desperately wants to find the daughter her family took from her when she was young. A legacy from her late father at last promises independence and the opportunity to search for her daughter in England. But her domineering half-brother has been put in charge of her money, and he insists she continue to live quietly and cheaply in Australia. By chance Miranda meets Lou, who is dying from cancer but still living life to the full. He helps restore her self-confidence and she takes steps towards freedom.

The Poppy Girls

Thwarted in her desire to become a doctor like her brother, Robert, Pips Maitland rebels against her mother's wishes that she settle down and raise children. However, when Robert brings home a friend from medical school, Giles Kendall, it seems perhaps Pips might fall in love with an acceptable suitor after all. But the year is 1914, and the future is uncertain. Hearing that her father's friend, Dr John Hazelwood, is forming a flying ambulance corps to take to the front lines, Pips is determined to become one of its nurses and asks Alice Dawson, her maid, to go with her.

Cherry Tree Lane

For Mattie Willit, caught in a thunderstorm running away from her bullying stepfather, rescue comes in the form of Jacob Kemble, a widowed farmer living with his two young children. She is escaping from an enforced marriage; he, struggling with the memory of a loveless one. As Jacob nurses Mattie back to health, the two come know and love each other. Meanwhile, wealthy and elderly Miss Emily Newington needs their help to save her from her greedy cousin who is plotting to take her house.

Christmas Angels

Christmas may be the season of goodwill and festive cheer, but not for the poor of 1950s Liverpool. And for St Angelus Hospital in Lovely Lane, it is frantically busy. There are the old, the dying, the children and the emergencies.

The nurses, known locally as the Angels of Lovely Lane, are run off their feet. Dana, Beth, Pammy and Victoria hardly have time to catch their breath, let alone have a Christmas of their own.

Peppercorn Street

Janey is 18 and living in a small flat with her baby daughter. Just as her new life starts to show promise, her past catches up with her. Nicole is renting one of the new luxury flats. She’s just walked away from her husband and teenage sons, tired of being treated as a servant, suspecting her husband of having an affair. Winifred has lived in her large family home for over 80 years but it’s all getting too much, though she doesn’t want to leave. Things are not what they seem, and danger can strike both rich and poor.

The Honeyfield Bequest

Wiltshire in 1901: Kathleen's family are determined to force her into marriage with a violent man. In desperation she runs away and finds what consolation she can for her lost dreams. Then tragedy strikes, and Kathleen seeks refuge at Honeyfield House, where a charitable bequest has created a hiding place for families in trouble. Nathan fought in the Great War and is now using his gift for finding lost people as a detective. Taking on the job of finding Kathleen, he is shocked to discover a woman he can love, not the vicious female he was led to expect.

Marrying a Stranger

When Megan meets Ben Saunders, she's very attracted and he seems the same, but she didn't expect him to propose immediately. It'd be like marrying a stranger. Only, how can she refuse when they get on so well and he goes to Australia in a week? Can they make this sudden marriage work?

Tomorrow's Path

As a longstanding fan of best-selling author Jivan Childering, aspiring young novelist Jessica Lord is dismayed on encountering the man himself to find him standoffish. But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica's path is destined to cross with Jivan's once more, and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man. For his part, Jivan finds himself increasingly drawn to the unpretentious Jessica and impressed by her single-minded determination to follow her dreams.

Jenny Alone

After the sudden and brutal breakdown of her marriage, Jenny finds herself alone for the first time in her life when she leaves the comfortable farmhouse with her four-year-old daughter. Taking refuge in a seaside town in North Wales, Jenny finds a room in a boarding house. It's difficult at first, but as she gets to know her fellow residents, she gradually begins to see that life has much more to offer than she could ever have dreamed.

A Shilling for a Wife

Random House presents the audiobook edition of A Shilling for a Wife by Emma Hornby, read by Penelope Freeman. A dismal cottage in the heart of Bolton, Lancashire, has been Sally's prison since Joseph Goden 'bought' her from the workhouse as his wife. A drunkard and bully, Joseph rules her with a rod of iron, using fists and threats to keep her in check. When Sally gives birth, however, she knows she must do anything to save her child from her husband's clutches.

Heir to Greyladies

Hampshire, 1900: With the sudden death of her father, the life of 15-year-old Harriet Benson changes forever. Forced from her home, Harriet is sent into service to provide for the family. Arriving at the grand Dalton House, she meets the owners' crippled son Joseph, with whom friendship soon blossoms. When circumstances force Joseph to leave the family home, Harriet is happy to accompany him. But Harriet is unprepared for her inheritance of Greyladies, a supposedly haunted house in the country.

An Unbreakable Bond: The Breckton Novels, Book 2

It is 1913, and for best friends Megan and Hattie, born at the turn of the century and brought up in a convent orphanage in Leeds, the time has come to make their way in the world. Megan is to become an apprentice seamstress, and Hattie is to work as a scullery maid at Lord Marley's country residence. Once separated, Megan begins to excel at dressmaking, but Hattie is less fortunate. After a devastating encounter with Lord Marley, she is forced to earn a living working the streets....

The River Maid: The River Maid, Book 1

London, 1854: 20-year-old Essie Chapman lives with her father in poverty-stricken Limehouse, working on the river as a boatman. Her life seems set before her, never to leave this part of London and forever at her father's beck and call. Then, one night, she must transport a mysterious man from a foreign ship to the banks of the Thames, a man who ends up renting a room in Essie's house, identifying himself only as 'Raven'.

In Focus

When a new feature on Pete Newbury's popular TV programme shows his adult image digitally transformed to that of a young child, Beth is shocked to realise he's her “baby” brother, who vanished without trace. Her mother, who has never recovered from the loss, desperately needs closure, but Pete makes it very clear he doesn't want to know his birth family.

A Mother's Choice

For 10 years Delia has had to fend for herself and her son, Jack, and as a young unmarried mother, life has never been easy. Every new coat and pair of shoes was bought with what little money she could scrape together as a singer on the stage. But when the theatre work dries up, Delia faces a dilemma: continue the search for employment with no knowing whether she'll find the stability and security her son needs or return to the place that should be home...where only spite and hatred await them.

Licence to Dream

Meriel grows up in England a tomboy, helping her beloved grandfather with DIY. At school she discovers a talent and love for art, but her mother forces her to become an accountant. She’s good at that, too, but her heart isn’t in it. Ben and his wife have a dream of designing a country retreat, but when she’s killed in an accident, he’s left to struggle on alone. After her grandpop dies, Meriel emigrates to Australia, where she meets Ben.

No Place for a Woman

When Lucy's parents are killed in a train crash, her kindly uncle steps in to look after the little girl - to the initial apprehension of his wife and her son. However, Lucy's sweet, spirited charm slowly wins over her new family, and as she overcomes the trauma of her childhood, she grows up inspired to become a doctor, just like her father. But studying medicine in London takes Lucy far from her home in Hull and the people she loves, and she has to battle to be accepted in a man's world.

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. Set in the 1840s, when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the Duchess of Richmond's now legendary ball, one family's life will change forever.

The Mersey Daughter: A Heartwarming Saga Full of Tears and Triumph

Rita Kennedy has finally seen through her good-for-nothing husband, Charlie. Now he's gone AWOL with his fancy woman and left Rita at the mercy of the local gossips. Her future is full of uncertainty, and the only thing that keeps her going is knowing that her children are safe from the Luftwaffe - and the letters that she receives from Jack Callaghan, her childhood sweetheart, but a life together is just a distant fantasy.

Moving On

Molly Peel has been downtrodden for years, but everyone has their sticking point. At her daughter’s wedding she’s side-lined in favour of her ex-husband’s new wife. Her son, who lives with her, isn’t paying his share of expenses. It’s time to move on and make a better life for her. Molly leaves London, looking for a job, and finds more than she bargained for, including a new chance of love – if she can pluck up the courage to seize the moment.

All My Tomorrows

The compelling new Second World War novel from the author of
Always in My Heart. In defending herself against her brutal husband, eighteen-year-old Ruby Clark is forced to flee London. She has no idea where Cliffehaven is, or what she will find there, but she knows that she will never be able to return home again. At first it seems she’s fallen on her feet. She gets a job at the local armaments factory, and the couple she is billeted with are kind and supportive.

Daughters of Courage

Emily Ryan has gone up in the world since her arrival in Sheffield. Brought there by her mother's ambitious schemes for her brother, Josh, she had found work as a buffer girl polishing cutlery for the city's famous trade. With the help of a friend, Nell, Emily eventually set up her own buffing business, employing those with whom she had once worked. Married to Thomas Trippet - Trip to his friends - they plan to build a life together, but when Lucy, Nell's daughter, disappears, it seems that the menace from the past is never very far away.

Publisher's Summary

Eleanor and Beatrice dream of lovematches but the Dowager insists romantic love is for housemaids, not for the Graceover women.

Beatrice, despatched to London to look over the current crop of bachelors, is unimpressed by the frivolities of the Season. Disturbed by the languid charm of Lord Serle and appalled by the mercenary attitudes to marriage displayed by Society, Beatrice’s country innocence and unconventional behaviour lead her into some alarming situations.

Meanwhile, the beautiful and headstrong Eleanor is up to mischief of her own, which is guaranteed to earn the disapproval of her grandmother. A desperate struggle in the potting shed at midnight clears the air; not only does love triumph after all, but the Dowager is not displeased.